Making sure your New Year’s Resolution sticks
By Thao Le, MSN, APRN, PMHN-BC, Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner for Health Partnership Clinic
With every new year comes new resolutions. Whether it’s getting in shape, traveling more, or quitting smoking, every new year gives us an opportunity to turn the page and start fresh. While coming up with a New Year’s resolution can be difficult, it can sometimes be just as difficult to maintain the resolution over a period of time. This is known as a New Year’s resolution “slump,” and according to a 2022 study by Planet Fitness, it takes an individual a mere average of 41 days to give up on their resolution.
Fortunately, there are tips to help make sure your resolution sticks:
- Set “SMART” goals
- Stick to just picking one goal to prevent feeling overwhelmed
- Write out a detailed plan
- Stay motivated by tracking progress
- Don’t be afraid to ask for support from friends and family
- Give habits time to make them stick
- Reward yourself
In the United States, improving fitness is the most popular New Year’s resolution for the year 2024, while improving mental health was the most popular resolution the year 2023.
Recently, Health Partnership received a $5,000 grant to improve the health and wellbeing of its employees. Health Partnership thought what better time than the new year to launch “Putting the Health in Health Partnership,” a six-week program that will not only offer employees an opportunity to improve their mind, body, and spirit but assistance in achieving their New Years resolutions.
The program will involve:
Yoga – Yoga classes for beginners to de-stress and improve strength, balance and flexibility.- Decompression Baskets – Playdoh, adult coloring books, colored pencils and puzzle booklets will be provided at each clinic to decompress and stimulate the brain.
- Wellness Challenge – Each staff member will receive a weekly checklist that includes a list of healthy activities to accomplish. After six weeks, participants will be entered into a drawing to win a prize.
- Chair Massages – Chair massages will be available to staff in Week six to reduce stress and tension.
- Healthy Snacks – six weeks of healthy snacks to get the day started on the right foot.
The wellness of Health Partnership Clinic depends on the wellness of its employees. Employee well-being affects job performance and patient care. When staff are physically and mentally healthy, improved decision-making follows. Together, let’s start off the new year with a bang!